A widow and her two children on the run from the invading Nazis in 1940s France follow a young man into the woods and to the safety of a deserted farm house. Hidden in the bucolic setting, they lose track of not just the war, but even the days and the hours. They also lose track of their lives, coming awkwardly together to form a new family. If this doesn't sound overly dramatic, then you'd be right.
Beautifully shot and well directed, Strayed fails to establish anything approaching an interesting, much less captivating narrative. There's the expected sexual tension between the mother and the teenage boy on the cusp of manhood, but the characters are so stoic that not only do they have problems growing closer, but we have problems caring. There's also the expected "surprise" arrival of a couple of retreating soldiers, touching off the man-boy's jealousy. At one point, he grabs an ax with the intention of attacking the soldiers. I found myself praying he would. Just so something would happen. But nothing ever does. It's enough to make you want to throw your hands in the air and surrender.